


Blood or Love: A Shadowhunters Tale

by jkalime



Category: Shadowhunters (TV), The Mortal Instruments (Movies), The Mortal Instruments Series - Cassandra Clare
Genre: Aiden - Freeform, Blood, Cassandra Clare - Freeform, Eli - Freeform, F/M, Forbidden Love, Full Moon, Hunter - Freeform, Love, Nephilim, Pack, Parabatai, Shadow - Freeform, Shadowhunters - Freeform, Sydney - Freeform, TDI, Tale, The Circle, Valentine - Freeform, Warlock - Freeform, Werewolf, Werewolf Pack, ascended, clare - Freeform, clary - Freeform, face claims, faerie - Freeform, fey, finn - Freeform, izzy - Freeform, shadowhunter, shadowhunter tale, the infernal devices - Freeform, the mortal instruments - Freeform, tmi, vampire
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-17
Updated: 2018-01-24
Packaged: 2019-03-05 21:48:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,725
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13396920
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jkalime/pseuds/jkalime
Summary: Sydney Nightway has been a shadowhunter her entire life...except she didn't know. Raised by a werewolf pack she's as downworlder as the rest of them until the day the Nephilim find her. Three years later she returns to her hometown, Bay Village, this time as a Shadowhunter stationed at its new Institute. Reuniting with her pack Sydney must attempt to hide her downworlder life from her fellow Nephilim while trying to figure out what she wants for her life: to follow her blood? Or run with her pack?





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> This story takes place in an alternate universe. In this AU Valentine and the Circle weren't evil, the uprising didn't happen. The Circle's original goal was to create more shadowhunters and that is what has happened in the years since in this AU. This takes place in the same universe as my story She's My Parabatai but does not need to be read with it (there will be no spoilers in either).

I lounged in the booth, my black boots propped up on the table. I picked at my nails, pretending to be busy. In reality I was taking in the diner. Coast Diner wasn't just any retro-styled diner a hundred miles from the sea. No, it catered to Downworlders. None of which were paying any attention to me.

There were about a dozen, counting in the faerie cook back in the kitchen. Vampires, werewolves and faeries, all living in harmony or some crap like that. That's something that Finn had said at one point. I hadn't been listening, not really. I had been more focused on his lips than the words coming out of them.

The door jangled open. _Finally_ , I thought. The entire ensemble was here, the regulars for a weekday night at the diner. My boots slammed on the floor as I stood from my booth. And by _my_ booth I mean my booth. I'd etched my name underneath the table years ago.

I walked towards the door like I was leaving but then I stopped and turned the lock on the door. I turned and saw that now everyone was staring at me, my runes clearly seen in the diner light. I felt the seraph blade in my jacket but I knew that I wouldn't need it. "Nobody leaves until someone tells me where Brady is."

One of the vampires threw his head back in laughter, his fangs catching the light. "You think we're going to give up one of our own?" His red hair matched the red stain of blood around his mouth. Probably lamb's blood. Probably.

"Brady isn't one of you, he hasn't been for a long time." Years ago I remember that he had. He was one of the regular customers at Coast Diner. Blood-lust changed all that.

"The fact remains that you aren't either," the red-headed vampire pointed out. " _Nephilim_." He stat the word with such hatred that he barred his fangs at me.

I just stared at him. "I don't get it. Are you trying to scare me? You look more like a chihuahua than a vampire."

The vampire let out a growl as a stood up from his booth. "You'll regret that." He was on me in vampire speed. But I was ready for him. My hand was around his throat faster than he could even show his teeth. My nails dug into his skin. That wasn't something I'd learnt from anything Shadowhunter.

"You really want to do this, Dylan? Again? Last time I beat your ass I heard you went and cried to Maverick, like he would do anything to me." I pushed Dylan away with such force that he landed on the ground.

Dylan rose up on his elbows, growling at me again. "The hotel on 12th street," someone from the other side of the room finally spoke.

The vampire whipped his head around and glared at him. "Seth!"

The old man shrugged. He wasn't actually a downworlder. Was just a mundane, a mundane with the Sight. Instead of being scared of the things he saw in the dark he embraced them. "Why do you care about Brady? He's been a pain in our neck for ages. It's about time someone takes care of him."

"I don't care about Brady, I care about _her_ ," Dylan spat. "She's Nephilim, our enemy and you're all just so ready to let her walk all over you like she owns the place."

I unlocked the door, but I looked behind me before I left. "Thanks, Seth." The old man always came through for me. He always came through for everyone. He was the downworlders' personal grandpa. I stared the walk out the door and then stopped. "By the way, Dylan- I acted like I owned the place long before I even got my first rune. And I still kicked your ass then."

No one stopped me as I left the diner. I found my motorcycle where I had left it, in the same spot that it always was. I put on my helmet out of habit. I didn't really need one, given my blood and runes I'd probably walk away from an accident but I'd worn one since I was a kid so it was second nature.

I pulled off down the old road that hadn't been paved in ten or so years. The area looked like where you would find drug dens and murderers. That wasn't exactly far from the truth.

As I drove I considered calling for backup. It wasn't that late but I instantly decided against it. Brady was _mine_.

When I pulled into the alley behind the hotel I realized that I didn't have the room number Brady was in. I shrugged, it shouldn't be to hard to follow the blood and carnage. I quickly runed and glamoured myself, not wanting to deal with mundanes.

I walked through the hotel, unseen. The lobby was normal, the reception and bell hoppers unaware of what was going on upstairs.

I took the stairwell, checking each floor for the scent of blood and death. Finally, on the tenth floor I heard loud music banging in the suite. Taking the stake out of my jacket I knew this was the room.

I kicked the door open, unwilling to wait for someone to open it. Unwilling to let Brady make it seem like this was just a normal party.

No, I found him sitting on the couch, an innocent girl in his grasp. He was sucking the life out of her. "Sydney!" He exclaimed tearing his fangs from her neck. Fear was in his eyes, he knew he had been caught. He wiped the blood from his face with his sleeve and stood up. "To what do I owe the pleasure?" he tried.

"Condolences for the cell in hell you're going to rot in." Before I was even done speaking the stake was flying through the air, impaling Brady in the chest. I was done being lienant.

Glancing at the girl, now unconscious, I knew she'd be fine. Brady never drank enough to kill, except when he went off the rails, like two weeks prior.

I pressed the emergency button on the hotel phone and let it hang before walking out of the room. Glamoured, I walked out of the hotel unseen and I only deglamoured myself when I hopped on my motorcycle. The last thing this city needed was to see a motorcycle riding itself.

I took off into the night.


	2. Chapter 2

Coast Diner was a bustle of activity just like it always was on Saturday morning, or any time for that matter. Never in my life had I stepped into the diner when it was empty. In this city there was always downworlders looking for a place to relax.

The same booth I was sitting in yesterday was empty so Finn and I took our seats, on on each side. Since we were children we had sat in this booth. No one seemed inclined to take it from Maverick's family.

I was almost surprised to see that no one batted an eye at my entrance. It seemed that no one really had cared about Brady in the first place. My thoughts were confirmed when a faerie set down two glassed on our table: root beer for Finn and coffee for me. "Whatever you two would like is on the house," our server, Elvia said. "As a thanks to Sydney for taking care of Brady. He wasn't exactly inclined to paying his bill."

"Thanks, Elvia," I said. "I'll just have my usual." I didn't even need to look at the menu to know what was on it. It hadn't changed in the past ten or so years. And it was rare anyway that I got anything different from eggs, ham and hashbrowns.

"Me too," Finn said. In all my life I had never seen him eating anything else than country fried steak and mashed potatoes when we were at this diner.

"Coming up." Elvia smiled at us as she walked to the back counter.

Finn reached out across the table and took my right hand, caressing the voyance rune on it. "It's been two months since you came back but I don't think I'll ever get used to these runes on you." I understood him, sometimes I still surprised myself when looking in the mirror.

"Be glad all you have to do is look that them," I told him. "Drawing them is a pain, pun intended." I hated etching the runes into my skin with my stele. If I could help it I wouldn't draw runes at all. It didn't help that I was horrible at them either. I messed up on a regular basis and had to start from scratch.

"More or less than getting stabbed with a silver dagger?" Finn's eyes showed amusement.

"That was an accident and you know it!" He chuckled at my exclamation. Years ago I had been playing with my dagger. Somehow I lost control of it and stabbed Finn in the arm with it. It wound wasn't deep or bad but it had been fun trying to cover it up and keep it from Maverick.

"When do you have to be back tonight?" He asked me when his laughter died down.

"Not until this evening, there's a mission briefing," I explained. When I saw the look on his face I instantly rememebered. "The moon meeting!" I cursed silently. "I can't go, I'm sorry." Twice a month the entire pack would gather to go over politics and whatnot.

Finn shrugged but I wasn't blind to his obvious disappointment. "I survived going by myself for three years," he started. "I can handle another meeting. I'm just going to miss my partner in crime."

"I'll try to come to the next one," I told him. I was careful not to promise him anything. Vows and promises were dangerous in this city. They were binding. Even though I knew that Finn wouldn't be mad if I broke it I couldn't bring myself to.

Finn nodded and opened his mouth to say something else when a werewolf boy suddenly ran into the diner, slamming the door open. "There's a Nephilim sniffing around outside!" No one pointed out that I, a Nephilim, was sitting right there in a booth.

I shared a glance with Finn before the both of us rushed outside. Shadowhunters, of course, weren't banned from anywhere in the city, that would break the Accords. However, it was unusual that one would venture this far into downworlder territory on their own. Except for me.

I regonized the familiar figure of the dark haired shadowhunter immediately. "Eli?"

He swung around looking at me first before his eyes wandered to Finn. "So this is where you get off to, Sydney. What are you doing at a downworlder Diner?"

"Where do you think I get my intel?" I had prepared for this. I knew that at some point someone was going to find out about my interactions with the pack. It didn't take my long to fabricate a lie in case anyone asked. And good lies always had a shred of truth as this one did. I mean, I _did_ get my intel from here after all.

Eli jerked his chin at Finn. "Who's the werewolf?" He always had a knack for recognizing a downworlder even when they looked completely mundane.

"My primary informant," I said at the same time that Finn answered with his name, "Finnick Croy." I sent him a look. Eli didn't need to know who he was.

Something sparked in my fellow shadowhunter's eyes. "Ah, you're Maverick's kid."

"He's the Alpha to you," Finn nearly growled. He was fiercely protective of his father and respectful of his rank.

Eli practically rolled his eyes. "Right, because like I care about that he's this big powerful Alpha."

Finn stepped forward, this time actually growling. I put my hand on his chest to stop him. The rumbling subsided.

"Oh so scary, wolfy," Eli said sarcastically. My hand was the only thing stopping Finn from attacking the Shadowhunter. I could practically feel the rage coming off of him.

"What are you doing here?" I snapped at Eli. He shrugged, sticking his hands into his jeans pockets.

"I wanted to see where you got up to," he said. "Now I know. I also know where to find your body when one of these demons kills you." He was jabbing again, trying to illicit a reaction. I wasn't going to take the bait.

"Go home, Eli," I told him.

Eli put his hands up in defeat. "Fine, don't piss anyone off. Aiden'll be depressed for weeks if you get murdered." He walked off, almost disappearing into the shadows until he was out of sight.

"What about Aiden?" Finn asked. He knew about everyone at the Institute, of course, I had told him. I hadn't had time however to tell him about Eli's ridiculous assumption that Aiden had a crush on me.

"Later," I said to him leading us back towards the Diner doors. Everyone looked at us as we entered.

"He's gone; I took care of it," I announced so as to get everyone to leave us alone.

"This is your fault!" A red-headed vampire hissed. "Now the Nephilim know where we are!" I hadn't realized Dylan entered the Diner. It had a back entrance connected to the sewers and the windows were spelled so it was a vampire-haven during the day.

I sighed as I sat down in my booth again. "Newsflash, Dylan, the Nephilim already knew this place existed." Before building the Institute the first thing the Shadowhunters had done was canvas the city, marking all the downworlder hotspots. Coast Diner and Maverick's bike shop were already on the map when I arrived.

"Well you're a magnet for more Nephilim activity! You're brining them here!" Dylan was grasping at straws and it was getting on my last nerve.

"So what if they come? It's not like you're breaking the Accords. You can't be arrested for having breakfast." I heard the vampire grumble but he didn't say anything else. Half the Diner was still staring at me. "Well? Does anybody else want to voice their concerns?"

As the last eyes left me I looked across the table at Finn. He was staring intently at the food that had sometime been delivered. He was still fuming.

"Hey," I told him touching his hand with mine. He softened. "Eli's an ass. Don't let him get to you."

Finn looked at me, the anger disappearing from his eyes. "Yeah...okay. But how did he find you?" 

I shrugged, savoring the delicious brunch in front of me. "He's Eli Ravenhallow, I stopped asking questions a long time ago." The dark-haired Nephilim was an oddity, one I had never cared enough to solve. "Now, hurry up and eat. I could eat a horse but your food looks just as appetizing."

Finn picked up a large portion of his steak on his fork when his phone suddenly chimed. His face paled as he looked at the text message. "We have to go, now. It's my father."

***

On the way back to the bike shop Finn was uncharacteristically stiff as he held on to my waist so I knew something was wrong. Something more than Maverick getting mad at his son for leaving the shop for brunch.

Finn practically leapt off the bike as I slowed to a stop in front of the shop. Throwing off my helmet, I hurriedly followed him into the garage.

I couldn't contain my gasp when I saw the three werewolves. Travis was there, his shirt slashed and the unmistakable tint of blood on them. Another man was wrapping a wound on his Alpha's upper arm. Cain, Maverick's second. Finn took the bandage from him, finishing the wrap so that Cain could tend to his own wound on his head.

"What happened?" I finally found my voice. I hadn't seen anybody in the pack get hurt like that in a while. Especially the Alpha and his second and third in commands.

"I heard of some rouge wolves in the territory," Cain started to explain. I could see the remorse in his eyes. He blamed himself that his Alpha had gotten hurt. "I asked Maverick and Travis to come help me."

"They weren't rouge werewolves," Maverick nearly growled. "They were from Jasper's pack." I shared a glance with Finn. Jasper's pack? We hadn't had confrontation with them in years. They were the neighboring pack and they used to always fight us for territory. But, one night changed all that. "They attacked us. We left them on the border as an example to Jasper but-" he shook his head before pulling something out of his pocket. "They found a body. I don't know what Jasper will do next." He held out his hand showing the familiar necklace.

I froze, my eyes wide. Then, I forced myself to remain calm, to even my heartbeats. I willed Finn to do the same. Because the necklace belonged to Dimitri, Jasper's son. The first downworlder I had murdered.


	3. Chapter 1

The morning after I killed Brady I woke up in my dimly lit room. A huge tree stood in front of my window, shading my room. I chose it for that reason. I preferred the darkness.

Rising from my bed I wondered how long it would take before someone came bitching at me for killing Brady alone, with no back up. I had quietly left the report on the Institute head's desk late last night; I hadn't told anyone directly.

My favorite black jacket was hanging in my bathroom where I had left it the previous night after cleaning it. In the heat of the moment of killing Brady I hadn't noticed the blood that splattered onto it. I threw it on along with a tank top, jeans and boots before making my way out of my room. I'd have to face the music sometime.

Breakfast was the most important meal of the day but I didn't feel like sitting around a table of Shadowhunters so I elected to go to the training room. Besides, I had plans for brunch.

And it was there, in front of the training room door that I had my first altercation of the morning. "What the hell?!" Aiden Bloodrose blocked my path. His fiery hair matched his personality, destructive. "You were supposed to call us when you found Brady, not attempt to take him on by yourself!"

"As I recall I didn't attempt anything." I pushed past him into the training room. "I did kill him." I shrugged. "I didn't want to risk losing him, so I went for it."

"What if you got hurt? He's a hundred year old vampire! He's not some simple fledgling that's easy to pick off." Aiden followed me and I rolled my eyes when he wasn't looking.

"I can handle myself," I told him. I'd always been able to handle myself. I shoved my hands into my gloves, preparing to swing at the punching bag.

Aiden caught my wrist before I could impact. "Famous last words. You've been a shadowhunter for like five minutes so I can understand why you're so cocky. But that's going to get you killed."

I ripped my arm from his grasp. "I've been a shadowhunter my entire life. Do you think you're so much better than me?" He wasn't, I knew he wasn't. I could wipe that smirk off his face before he had a chance to blink.

"Because I am," he said. "I've trained my entire life for this unlike you. It's only been what three and a half-"

I swept his feed out from under him before he could say another word. There was a loud THUMP on the training room floor as Aiden hit it. Unfortunately he didn't face plant it. "Three and a half years is enough to do that."

He stood and glared at me, not saying a word. His pride was obviously wounded. I didn't even look as the red head left the room, turning my attention to the punching bag in front of me. I may had only trained as a shadowhunter for less than four years but that didn't mean I hadn't been capable beforehand, not that Aiden needed to know.

"I really wish you wouldn't do that." I physically jumped as a figure landed on the floor next to me, leaping from the overhead beams. "He's a pain to deal with when he's riled up like that." Eli Ravenhallow spilled his hands into his pockets.

"Can you please stop doing that?" I asked him. He had the habit of appearing from the shadows, scaring everyone out of their wits. He was the only one here who ever surprised me.

"I'll stop when you quit infuriating my Parabatai," Eli told me. "Do you know how long it takes me to calm him down when he's in one of this moods?"

I turned away from him and went back to the punching bag. "Your Parabatai, your problem."

Eli was suddenly right in front of my face. How had he moved so fast? "And what problems do you have, Sydney?" I gave him a cold stare as he stared at me. We were nearly the same height so our eyes were on the same level. He was always like this, redirecting a conversation to learn something. It was hard enough throwing him off my scent.

I stepped back from him and ignored his question. "Tell Aiden to stop being a dick and I'll stop humiliating him."

Eli groaned. "Can you two stop playing this stupid game?" I stared at him blankly so he continued. "Just kiss and get it over with. This whole 'I secretly love you but I still hate you' thing is getting old."

"I don't love Aiden," I told him. There was only one person I would ever love. "I don't even like him. And if he likes me I suggest he gets over it before I smash his heart."

"Oh no," Eli said. "Please don't do that. I'd be a horror to clean up that mess."

"Then tell Aiden to leave me alone," I said to him, ripping off my gloves. It appeared I wasn't going to get any training in anyway. "It's not like I want anything to do with him anyway."

"Where are you going?" He called me to me as I made my way out of the room.

"Out!" Was all I shouted back. Eli Ravenhallow didn't need to know where I was going

I drove down a familiar street, not that far away from Coast Diner. Junked houses and old cars lined the streets. Cracks in the pavement showed how long it had been since it was paved. I expertly avoided each pot hole I came across.

I rolled up to Duke's Repair and parked my bike in front next to another one. Shaking my hair from my helmet I noticed one of the garages was open; I smiled softly to myself.

As I strode inside I saw thick brown boots sticking out from the only car in the garage. "I'll be with you in one second, ma'am," came from the man underneath.

"Ma'am?" I asked. "Are you saying I look old?" I was amused, knowing full well he couldn't smell from with all the grease.

The man rolled out from under the car and his green eyes lit up. "Sydney-" As he stood up I grasped his wrist, drawing him closer to me. I didn't waste any time as I pressed my lips against his, taking comfort in the familiar shape and feel of them. "I missed you," he said to me.

"Finn, I saw you two days ago." I wiped a smudge of grease off his cheek. "And we texted until four in the morning last night."

"I know," Finn said. "But we have lost time to make up for remember?"

I was about to tell him we had the rest of our lives, that we'd be together forever when a large man stepping out of the back office stopped my thoughts before I could voice them. "M-Maverick!" I jumped apart from Finn, not because I was ashamed to be seen that close to him. No, I was afraid of the hell I was about to pay and didn't want Finn to get caught in the cross hairs.

Maverick the Alpha stared long and hard at me for a moment before finally breaking out in a grin. "The last time I saw that face was when the two of you destroyed the kitchen trying to cook dinner." I remembered the moment well, Finn had been ten and I had been eight. Maverick left us alone one night and we tried to make Mac'n'Cheese. Something went horribly wrong. I hadn't tried to cook anything since. "Why didn't you just tell me you were going after Brady? Hell, I'd have set you up with a team if I knew you were gonna kill him."

"You're...you're not mad?" I had been so afraid that Maverick would have my head for killing Brady.

"Why would I be mad?" the Alpha asked. "Brady has been a pain in our ass for years. I'm just glad the Clave had him on their radar. The politics of killing him would have been messy if we did it." He put a hand on my shoulder, suddenly becoming more serious. "But don't do that again; don't go alone. Whether it's with the pack or the Nephilim, take someone with you."

I nodded, understanding. Maverick knew I could handle myself. He was the one who taught me after all. He was just looking out for me, like he had done since I was a child.

"Sir!" Another man ran out from the office. He had a shaved head and was wearing a ripped denim jacket. Travis, Maverick's third. He whispered something hushly in the Alpha's ear, too quiet to pick up.

Maverick nodded. "I have to go take care of something. Finn, you're in charge of the shop." My green-eyes boy nodded to his father.

As the Alpha and Cain left I turned back to Finn, smacking him on the arm. "Why didn't you tell me he wasn't mad!"

Finn smirked. "Because I wanted to see that look on your face."

"I hate you," I grumbled as he closed he distance between us.

"No you don't," he whispered as he kissed me again. My fingers went into his hair and I instantly leapt back, finding grease coating my hands.

"You have grease in your hair," I pointed out wiping my hands on his jumpsuit.

He touched his dark brown hair lightly. "Huh, so I do. Be right back." He padded off to the back of the shop and I made myself busy washing my hands in the sink nearby.

Finn reappeared a moment later his mechanic suit gone and replaced by a flannel shirt and jeans. A beanie covered up his greasy hair. "Ready to go?"

"Maverick won't mind you leaving the shop? I mean he did leave you in charge." We had a brunch date planned but I didn't want to get Finn in trouble with his father.

"It's close enough to lunch time," Finn pointed out. It was 10:00AM. "Besides, as long as I'm with you Dad'll let me get away with murder." He grinned, obviously making light of me killing Brady. Another memory threatened to force itself into my head but I pushed it down.

"Funny, come on, I'm driving," I told him as he locked up the garage.

"Fine, but I'm buying," Finn said to me. I rolled my eyes at him. He always tried to be the gentleman, picking up the bill.

He grabbed his helmet from his bike while I put my own on. I climbed on and revved it on, always feeling exhilarating when I heard the sound. I felt his arms snake around my waist, holding on.

In all reality, Coast Diner was within walking distance. There wasn't really a point to us driving. But Finn and I loved it. We took whatever chance we could to ride. It was the closest thing to running with the wolves.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope if you made it to this point you're enjoying the story! I'd love it if you could leave a kudos and a comment thanks <3


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